Need help with Google's passkeys

Henred

I'm feeling confused about passkeys.

On one hand, it says that LastPass will store passkeys to be used anywhere:

"LastPass helps you to easily and securely use the same passkey on multiple devices and platforms."

https://support.lastpass.com/s/document-item?language=en_US&bundleId=lastpass&topicId=LastPass/about_passkeys.html&_LANG=enus

Yet here it says that the private key is stored on the device:
"The private key of a passkey is stored directly on your device."

https://support.lastpass.com/s/document-item?bundleId=lastpass&topicId=LastPass/passkey_faqs.html&_LANG=enus

I've tried to create a passkey for Google on my desktop PC running Linux and the Brave browser. I have the LastPass browser extension. All I did was click on "Create Passkey" and LastPass popped up during creation asking to store the passkey, which I accepted. That's all. It was then all successful according to Google even if I didn't have to do anything else. Google mentioned fingerprint, face scan, phone pin, linking my phone, etc but none of it was needed here.

However, when I tested it, it didn't work.

Google doesn't list Brave or Linux as supported browser and OS. At the same time, Google says to wait 7 days for the passkey to work, so why offer a test button?

According to LastPass, the passkey saved there should work on any device and browser where the extension is installed…

Google says I have to generate a passkey for every device I own. LastPass here says the same passkey can be used across devices…

Can someone help me clear all this confusion and get it working on Google?

Hilda C

Hi @Henred

I can definitely see why this feels confusing. The biggest thing I would recommend is to use only one passkey manager, and if you want to use LastPass for passkeys, disable Google Password Manager's passkey/password management features in your browser.

A few clarifications:

• LastPass-managed passkeys are stored in your LastPass vault and can be used on other devices where you're logged into LastPass and the extension is available.
• When documentation says the "private key is stored on the device," that often refers to device-bound passkeys created and managed by the operating system or browser itself (such as Google Password Manager, Windows Hello, or iCloud Keychain).
• The experience varies depending on which passkey provider actually created the passkey.

It's possible that Google, Brave, and LastPass are not all agreeing on which component should manage the passkey. This can result in a passkey being created successfully but not being usable in the way you expect.

Please do the following:

1. Disable Google Password Manager for passkeys/passwords.
2. Keep only the LastPass extension enabled as your credential manager.
3. Delete the Google passkey you created.
4. Create a new passkey while logged into LastPass.
5. Test again from the same browser before testing other devices.

Also note that Google support for passkeys can vary depending on browser and platform combinations. Since Google does not officially list all Linux/Brave configurations as supported, some passkey behaviors may not work consistently even if the setup appears successful.

Best,